In vehicles which are automobiles, the ability to pivot a passenger seat to obtain a “living room” type of configuration has already been proposed, in other words at least one seat oriented in a position other than facing forward. It has also been proposed to use a vertical pivoting movement to facilitate the entry and exit of passenger(s) in a vehicle (“welcome function”) when conventional wide access through the door is not available.
Some have proposed a movement about a central vertical axis equipped with motorization, for example as taught by document U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,529. However, it turns out that a substantially centered axis of rotation has certain disadvantages concerning the immediate environment of the seat such as the door or the center console, with which there may be interference. In addition, safety requirements have increased, and some known solutions are insufficient in terms of mechanical strength in case of impact or shock.
A need has therefore appeared for a vehicle seat having a pivoting function about a vertical axis which is better suited for avoiding mechanical interference with the environment and at the same time which satisfies impact resistance requirements.